Asia Singapore New cat ownership rules require pet cats to be microchipped and licensed, with limits on the number of cats allowed per household; After a two-year transition period, owners must comply or face penalties, while licences will become chargeable
Asia India Swedish telecom equipment manufacturer Ericsson will open a 6G research lab in India, underlining the country's importance for the global development of next-generation technology
Asia Georgia 14.635 citizens in 2021 and 26.450 in 2022 sought asylum from EU member states, according to recent European Commission report; in 2022, 7% of these applications were granted, while in 2021 the percentage was 5%
America Panama Following protests against the government's contract with Minera Panamá for copper mining, Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo signed a decree prohibiting the granting of new mining concessions and rejecting pending requests
Asia Lebanon The Lebanese lira is going through a record crisis, with the US dollar exchanged at 100.000 lira; over the course of three years, it has lost more than 98% of its value in the context of the failure of the Lebanese banking system
Europe Belarus Authorities would be abusing anti-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation to further purge civic space, suppress freedom of expression and eradicate political opposition, according to Anaïs Marin, Special Rapporteur on human rights in Belarus
America Guyana After oil drilling operations in disputed waters also claimed by Venezuela, Guyana discovered a substantial oil reserve and awarded drilling bids to multiple companies in an area that Venezuela plans to annex by holding a national referendum
Asia Iraq A 2700-year-old sculpture of the winged deity Lamassu was unearthed in a recent excavation in northern Iraq; the sculpture, weighing 18 tonnes and measures 3,8 by 3,9 metres, is made of alabaster
Europe Lithuania The European Commission has approved Lithuania's updated €3,85 billion package under the EU's Recovery and Resilience Instrument
Africa Gabon The US declared the official suspension of foreign assistance to the Gabonese military junta for the 30 August coup, and added that aid would resume if the transitional government took concrete steps to restore democracy
Africa Guinea The removal of bulky objects from the streets of the capital started this weekend, upon order of the Transition President to the Ministers of Security, Territorial Administration and Housing
Europe Portugal The Gruta do Natal, a natural lava tube cave on Terceira Island, Azores, will act as a testbed for astronauts from all over the world starting this November
Africa Gambia The Network of Financial and Tax Reporters organised a training on the role of journalists in enhancing public-private partnership in the country
Africa Benin The Mediawan audiovisual group and TV5 Monde signed an agreement with the Semè City project to create 'Le Meilleur est à venir', a 220-episode television series